Interlocking construction for docks, piers, jetties, building-foundations, &amp;c.



H. W. SCHLUETBR. INTIIRLOGKING CONSTRUCTION PoR DocKs, PIBRs, JBTTIBS, BUILDING roUNDATIoNs, aw.

` APPLIoATIoN FILED fm1. 1908.

Patented Jan. 19` 1909,

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wiliam-seo v @if //f/ I H. W. SGHLUETER. INTEBLOGKING CONSTRUCTION FOB DOGKS mns, mms, BUILDING PoUNDATIoNs, am,

Patented Jan. 19. 1909.I

- APPLICATION PILED FBBJ 910,421

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

////// /////y f//f /45 PIERS, JETTIBS, BUILDING FOUNDATIONS, dao.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1908. 910,421. Y Patented lI.@m.19.190q

6 SHEETS-SHBBT 4,

H. W. SGHLUETER. INTBRLOGKING CONSTRUCTION PoR DoGKs, PIERS, JBTTIBS, BUILDING POUNDATIONS, am.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 1, 1908. l Patented Jan.'19, 1909'.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

H. W. SCHLUETER. INTERLOCKING CONSTRUCTION FOB DOCKS, PIERS, JETTIES, BUILDING FOUNDATIONS, sin..

Patented Jan. 19.19091' Y .6 SHEETS-SHEET B APPLICATION FILED FEB. l, 1908.

2m, We@

Off/HCI UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFIOE.

HENRY W. SCHLUETER, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T@

INTERLOCKING TUBE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1, 1908. Serial No.- 413,731. p

Patented Jan. 19, 15909.

- To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRYNV. SCHLUETER a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and` county of Denver and State of Colorado, have yinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Constructions for Docks, Piers, Jettiesl3uilding Foundations, oto.; and I do declare the following to be .a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which formv a part of this specification. Y

My invention relates to an interlocking construction for use in forming wharves, piers, docks, sea-walls, Ajetties, groynes, Colfer-dams and other similar constructions adapted for use in connection with various bodies of water las seas, lakes, rivers, etc.

My improved construction may also be ad'- vantageousl employed in building foundations and or use in the construction of bridges and Wherever water is encountered.

The distinguishing featureof my improved construction consists of interlocking tubes or hollow piles. The adjacent sides of the tubes are provided with counterpart tongues and grooves of dove-tail or similar shape, whereby the interlocking connection can only be made at the ends of the tubular sections and when so connected cannot be detached by a lateral movement. These tubes may be arranged'to form a wall of any shape by pro erly arranging the interlocking features. T e tubes after being arranged in the desired form, are filled with cement or concrete whereby the water is expelled. When the tubes'are so filled a cement or concrete Wal] is formed the same being eXteriorly lcovered by sheet metal of which the tubes are preferably composed. The completed wall thus forms a water tight structure and even though the metal exterior may be Worn away, the interlocking cement or concrete structure will remain permanently.

r I preferably locate within the tubes, metal bars which after the concrete is in place,

form a reinforcement giving the structure great strength.

From the foregoing it will be understood I that my improvement may be employed in a great variety of ways. and it may be said that it completely overcomes the difficulty heretofore experienced in making absolutely water tight Walls in coffer-dam and other similar constructions. The interlocking tubes may be made in sections of any length and their height may therefore be as great as desired. In sinking these tubes a vacuum or suction process is employed whereby the material directly below the tube is removed allowing the latter to drop by its own weight.

Having' brieiiy outlined my improved construction I will proceed to describe the same in detail reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my invention and sho ing a series of interlocking tubes connected at the top by a concre-tebeam which forms a sort of cap for the tubes or columns. This view shows the construction in thel form of a jetty or a wall projecting fromtl1e bank of a stream or other body of water outwardly thereinto. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross sectionl taken through a'number of interlocked composite columns composed of metal tubes fillred with cement or concrete and metal rei creed. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in section similar to Fig. 1

a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 5 5 Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the manner of interlocking the tube sections. This is a section. taken through two of the connected sections but shown on a larger scale than. in the other views. Fig. 7 is a top plan diagrammatic view illustrating my improved construction shown in the form of. a sea-wall or break water. Fig. 8 is a similar view `llustratingl the support or foundation for a wharf or landing. Fi 91is a similar view showing the composite co umns arranged in the form of a circle illustrating the manner in which. a. coffer-dam or other similar construction may be formed. Fig. 10 is a similar View showing the com 4osite piles or columns arranged in polygona form, a central or transverse ing located vithin the inc sure formed by l; the outer construction. In this view the,

rowof columns forming a arti-tion wallbe but shown on a much larger scale. F 5- is 1 space inclos'ed is filled with cement or con crete illustrating the manner of forming a solid pier adapted to support a structure of any kind.

The same reference characters indicate the.

One form of connecting these sections is illustrated in Fig. 6 in which 7 is a spring riv-v eted to the upper portion of the lower pipe section and carrying a pin 8 adapted to pass through 7an o ening 9 formed in the upper section and a so through a registering opening :10 formed in the upper part l2 of the lower section, this part being offset as shown at 13 to allow the lower extremity of the upper section to pass around it, the lower edge of the upper section en aging the oset of the lower section. It'wi of course be understood that these sections may be connected in any suitable manner. As each section is ap lied, it is connected with the section next be W before sinking the pipe further. In this way the place o connecting the pipes is always accessible at a suitable point above the water. The pipes or ltubes 5 maybe formed in two parts having the parts interlocked as shown at 14 (see Fig.- 3) or they maybe otherwise formed without a protrud- .ing joint as may be found practicable, or as may be desired. An important feature of these tubes is that they are provided with tongues 15 and grooves 16. The tongues and grooves of any two adjacent pipes or tubes are of counterpart shape where y the tonue ofthe one pipe sli s lnto the groove.

'of t e other' pipe, the en of the tonguel of one pipe being inserted at the endof the groove of the other pipe after which the tongue slides in the'groove until the ipes are interlocked their entire length. hile the general-.construction of these tongues and grooves is of dove-,tail form, any interlocking construction whichwill revent the device from becoming detache by a lateral or transverse movement, will" perform the required function. Within each pipe one or more rods 17 may be introduced for the purose` of 'reinforcing the"cement or-concrete fpilling 18. As shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, four rods 1f7 are introduced, ,tlfe same being connected together by a wire 19 which is given one or more coils 20 around each rod, the extremities of the wire being finally fastened together whereby the rods are caused to maintain their position within the pipe during the introduction of the concrete or cement filling. y

The lower extremities of the pipes are preferably beveled as` 'shown at 21 on the side remote t" im that where the last pipe introduced is located whereby there is a tendency for the pipe that is belng lowered or introduced to crowd toward the introduced or stationary pipe thus obviating any lateral or separating tendency since the latter would cause the pipes to bind and retard freedom of introduction. For instance referring to Fig. 1, the pipe 5 farthest to the left being the .ipe first introduced or lowered at the brin r of the stream or other body of water,

is beveled on opposite sides as shown at 22 v since there is no necessity that this pipe should^have a tendency to move laterally 1n either direction during the driving or lowering operation. .By bevelin it on opposite sides 1t becomes ointed whichfacilit'ates its introduction. T e next pipe 5, however, is beveled as shown at 21, on the side remote from the first pipe whereby there is a tendency for the second pipe to move toward the rst pipe. For the same reason the third pipe and each other ipe successively introduced is beveled on t e side remote lfrorn'the the bank below the surface of the water thus v indicating the usual conditions existing at streams and other bodiesof water,whereb the depth gradually increases from the brin to the bottom or maximum depth of the water.

introduced or lowered into the earth. 'j

As shown in the drawing it is preferred to place a cement or concrete beam 26 (see igs. 1, 4 and 5) upon the top of the columns, the upper extremity of each columnbeing embedded in the said beam a suitable distance as indicatedby the dotted lines in Fig. 1 and also by full lines in Figs. 4 and 5. This horizontally disposed beam forms a cap and ives the structure a finished appearance. t also adds to the strength and durability of the structure. Where this cap is employed the reinforcing rod 17 ma extend upwardly beyond the composite co umns and project into the horizontal beam 26, the latter being molded or formed` after the columns 'have been completed. Horizontal reinforcing rods 27 may also beemployed, /these rods bein placed in position during the introduction of the cement or concrete to the mold (not shown). It will be understood that in the formation of this horizontal beam a mold of any suitable construction must be This line also indicates the depth to which the pipes or composite columns are made in order to sup ort the lastic material until the latter has ecome ardened.

In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawing, the nul meral 28 designates the earth at the brink or margin of the stream or other body of Water. Attentionis called to the fact that'in Figs. 7 to 10 both inclusive, no attempt has been made to show the specific construction except in a general way. Hence these views may be termed diagrammatic views in which the pipe or tube 5 is designatedby a single heavy line surroundingl the cement or concrete filling 18. It has not been necessary in these views to designate the pipe or tube by cross hatching since this is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The views 7 to 1() inclusive are only intended to`show Aor illustrate some of the constructions for which my improved com. osite columns may be advantageously use i f From the foregoin descri tion the use of my im rovement wil be rea ily understood.

l A The tu es' or pipes may be composed of sections of any desired length. Ihe sections may be successively introduced. Each succeeding section is connected with the u permost end section of the pipe, after whic the kpipe is further lowered by the vacuum or suction process, that is to say by removing the earth orother material by suction from its position immediately below the tube whereby the latter simply settles by its own weight and is held in place by the surrounding for.-AV mation. In forming a jettyl or wall which extends outwardly into a stream or other body of water, the pipe close tothe bank is introduced first, after which the other pipes are successively introduced, the tongue of one pipe entering the counterpart groove or longitudinal recess of the other pipe whereby when the wall is formed the entire/construc- ,tionl islocked together. The pipes arethen filled with cement or concrete whereby the water is expelled, the metal reinforcing rods being first placed in osition. In the case of a jetty or other wal the cap beam` 26 may then be placed inposi'tion if desired giving the same a finished appearance andincreasing its strength and durability.

ln the case of a coffer-dam or other similar l construction, after the composite columns areI put in place in the form shown in Fig. 9,

, the water may be pumped out of the inclosure, if desired'whereby the latter is entirely free from water thus permitting the workmentopursue their labors at the bottom `of the stream or other body of water either in connection with tunneling or other work.

10, 'that a concrete or cement slab forming a 'course be understood that a cement cap or cover'over the entire structure dls'closed 1n Fig. 10 may be molded thereon as herein described when speaking of Figs. 4 and 5. It has therefore not been thought necessary to illustrate the cap or slab in connection with Fig. 10.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Pipes or tubes provided with interlocking vtongues and grooves, the tongues being hollow and in communication with their respective pipes andthe grooves being interiorly located.

. 2. Pipes or tubes provided with interlocking tongues and grooves of dove-tailed form, whereby the interlocked elements are capable of longitudinal ,movement but locked against lateral displacement when assembled, the tongues being hollow and in communication with the said pipes and the grooves being interiorly positioned.

3. A. composite column composed of a pipe or tube having an exteriorly protruding hollow dovedailed tongue in communication with the pipe, the said pipe or tube together with its hollow tongue being provided with a filling the pipe or tube forming theexterior wall of the column, substantially as described.

4. A composite column composed of a pipe having an eXteriorly protruding tongue and a groove of counterpart shape, the pipe being with a metal reinforcement, substantially as described.

5. A wallcomposed of a series of pipes or tubes provided with interlocking tongues and grooves, the tongues being hollow and in communication with their respective pipes and the grooves being interi-orly located the interlocking elements being constructed to permit longitudinal movement but to prevent lateral displacement when assembled,

.substantially as described.

6, A wall composed of a number of pipes 'or tubes having interlocking dove-tailed tongues and grooves, the tongues being hollow and in communication withV their respective tubes, and the grooves being interiorly located the tubes being filled with cement or concrete, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a series of pipes or tubes provided with interlocking dove-tailed tongues and grooves, the ipes being filled with cement onconcrete ang provided with a metal reinforcement, substantially as described. f

8. The combination of a series of pipes or tubes provided with interlocking tongues and rooves of dove'ftail form, the grooves being ormed integral with ythe pi es'and in communication with the latter, t e piPQ'S 0r tubes being filled with cement or concrete which also enters the tongues and surrounds the grooves of the interlocking members whereby the cement or concrete columns are corre- ,spondingly interlocked, substantially asdescribed. K

9. A composite colu-mn composed of a pipe or tube provided with-a dove-tailed tongue formed integralwith the body of the tube and communicating with the latter, the tube being provided with a illing of cement or concrete which enters the tongue as well as the body oi' the ipe the latter formin the exterior wall of tlie column, substantiay as described.

l0. A composite column composed of a pipe or tube provided with a longitudinally disposed dove-tailed roove, the groove being formed by bending tie metal or' the pipe inwardly to ive it the groove contour, the pipe forming t e exterior wall of the column which 1s filled with cement or concrete, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a series of tubes rovided with longitudinally disposed interockin tongues and grooves, the tongues being ho low and in communication with the body of the ipe or tube, and the grooves being interior y located, the tubes being arranged to inclose a suitable space, the tubes as well as the inclosure surrounded'by the columns being filled with cement, concrete or similar plastic material, substantially as described.

12. A pairof pi es or tubes, one of which is provided with a' ollow exteriorly protruding dove-tailed tongue in communication with the body of thepipe or tubeand the other being provided'wlth an interiorly located counter art roove, the two pipes being interlocke by t e insertion of the tongue of one in the roove oi the other, substantially as `descri ed. Y

13. A composite column composed of a pipe or tube provided with an exteriorly protruding hollow-dove-tailed tongue in communicationfwith the body of the tube, formin the exterior wall of thecolumn and the sa1d tube bein provided with a'suitable filling, substantia ly as described.

14. A composite column composed of a pipe or tube whose wall protrudes into the o low of the tube, forming an interiorly located groove open at the outer surface ofthe pipe, the latter formin the exterior wall of the column, substantia ly as described.

15. A composite column composed of a pipe or tube provided with an interiorly located groove, the said pi e formin the eX- terior wall of the colunm having alling engaging the walls of the groove, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses. Y

HENRYV. SCHLUETER.

Witnesses:

DENA N ELsoN, A. J. OBRIEN. 

